Chen led Ren and Texas into the LGD headquarters' strategy planning room. Upon their arrival, there were six people in total present: Ren, Texas, Officer Chen herself, and a trusted officer named Han. The other two were Officer Nine, the commander of LGD with rightful access to such meetings, and lastly—Wei Yenwu, the man who had insisted on coming along, invoking his rights as a former commander to be privy to the information.
He claimed that if anything were to go wrong, he'd be willing to lend a hand. As the city's mayor, it was only natural he would be concerned for the safety of both the public and his officers.
Ren, hearing this excuse, had no choice but to accept his presence, even though he didn't fully trust the man. Texas, however, whispered to him that this man knew the boss quite well—he could be trusted, but never relied upon. It was a warning from the boss himself, and Ren strongly agreed.
"Officer Han, would you mind turning off the lights?" Ren placed a stone on the table and turned to Han, who stood nearest the switch.
"Yes, sir!" Officer Han complied instantly, flipping the switch.
As the room fell into darkness, save for the faint light filtering through sheer curtains, Ren pressed both hands against the orange-brown stone. He began manipulating the elemental particles, causing them to float out of the stone and project a brown-hued holographic image into the air.
[Spirit of Stone – Memory Projection]
Fwoosh!
"Ugh!"
The image revealed the man from earlier—sitting and laughing in a cell—when suddenly he was stabbed through the back. As he turned his head in shock, he saw a mysterious figure entirely cloaked in shadows drive what looked like a dark, lance-like weapon through his chest.
"...I warned you," the shadowy figure murmured, before ripping the still-beating heart out of Blood Demon's body.
At that moment, Blood Demon did not die instantly. He trembled with fear and fury, staring at the shadow-wrapped figure as if trying to speak. Then the figure threw something at the door, causing a massive explosion. The image flickered and disappeared, signaling the end of the memory—and of Blood Demon's life.
"That's..." Chen's eyes widened in shock. Texas stared at the shadowy figure, unblinking. The Pocky she was biting into snapped under pressure, unnoticed by the others.
"That Originium power... it can project past memories?" Wei Yenwu murmured, intrigued, from behind Ren.
It wasn't just visuals—the stone even transmitted sound. Wei, despite his vast experience, had never seen anything like it.
Ren, feeling the pressure of the older man standing behind him, responded politely.
"It's just a memory projection from the Originium residue left behind by that man. The extent of the projection depends on how much Originium was absorbed. I can rewind a bit further, but based on the quantity, I only have about five more minutes of viewing time left... so I'll need to concentrate."
With that, Ren focused on rewinding the projection to an earlier moment—skipping over the battle with Texas and himself—and arriving at the time when the man, then going by the alias Amslin, was first seen picking up Senior Sora in his car.
"Good morning, Mr. Amslin," Sora greeted with a cheerful smile in the projection.
"Good morning, Miss Sora. Let's do our best today," he replied, smiling politely.
They chatted casually, mostly about work and health.
Nothing seemed to indicate he was plotting a kidnapping.
"They seem to have known each other for a while," Wei commented as the image played.
"Sora is generally kind to everyone, yes... but for her to ask about someone's health, they must have had a long-standing relationship," Texas replied.
"So this kidnapping plot had been set in motion a long time ago?" Chen muttered, annoyed that such dangerous people had been operating under their noses all along.
"T-That's impossible!" Officer Han protested. "Just last week, I heard from the hunters that the Tanis group was spotted in Leithanien. How could they be hiding in Lungmen?"
"Those reports might've been faked, or they could've been impersonators seeking fame," Officer Nine replied. "Either way, we need to catch these people—no matter what it takes."
As she spoke, the projection showed Blood Demon driving Sora to a particular location. Then, something strange happened. A faint song drifted into the car, despite no music being played inside. The melody seemed to come from outside the window.
Suddenly, Blood Demon's polite smile twisted. Without warning, he spun the car around, startling Sora.
"Mr. Amslin, what's happening?"
"Sorry, sweetheart, but it looks like we'll be taking a different route today..." His voice had changed completely. He looked into the rearview mirror—his once-blue eyes now glowing blood red.
He pressed a button to lower the back window, and the song drifted into the vehicle. Though the others watching the projection felt nothing, Sora's face turned pale with horror upon hearing it.
"You... you're not... Amslin..." she whispered, trying to stay conscious. But her eyelids drooped, and she collapsed against the seat, helpless.
The car pulled into a secluded location and stopped. Moments later, the back door opened, and two figures appeared.
One was a massive crocodile-man in a tattered tuxedo, carrying a sousaphone. The other—a young woman in a dark evening gown, with mechanical puppet arms on her back.
Upon seeing them, Officer Han shouted,
"That's definitely them! That's Sousaphone the Traitor and Violet the Mad Huntress!"
"No need to shout, idiot," Chen scolded, turning her attention to the conversation in the projection.
"You're late, boss... Were we supposed to wait here all day?" Violet complained, her raspy voice not matching her dainty appearance.
"Sorry, sorry. Controlling her took time. Just get her inside—her coworkers will probably catch on soon, so I'll draw their attention."
"I still don't get why the ringmaster cares about this half-blood brat," she sneered, eyeing Sora behind her bear mask. Though her face wasn't visible, her tone oozed envy.
"We need her blood to track the missing cargo. She's a half-blood, yes, but she still has rebel lineage in her veins."
"Hmph... which is why we shouldn't rely on her at all."
"Who knows? Maybe the ringmaster saw something special in her..."
Violet bit her lip, then smiled coldly. "So... would he still be interested if I crushed her voice box and disfigured that ugly little face? We don't need those parts for the show anyway."
She extended her puppet-like hand toward Sora, blades glinting from her fingertips. A thin scratch appeared on Sora's neck.
Ren and Texas clenched their fists in rage.
But then—a voice interrupted.
"Don't touch what the ringmaster is interested in, Violet."
The puppet hand froze mid-motion. Everyone turned to look.
It was a middle-aged Luper man with a long black scarf. His face was plain, and his eyes were lifeless like a dead fish's—chilling anyone who met his gaze.
Even the deranged Violet dared not act under his stare.
"Shadow... We're just here to pick up the goods. No need for a show."
"That's the ringmaster's order. Just follow it."
Though displeased, Violet bit her lip and kicked the giant crocodile.
"Traitor! Carry the girl!"
The crocodile said nothing, lifting Sora's limp form and walking toward an unfinished building.
"I hope this performance is worth it... otherwise, I won't be able to resist killing the brat," Violet muttered, heading inside.
Shadow remained silent, his gaze fixed on Blood Demon in the car.
"What will you do next, boss?" he asked calmly, though his tone carried deep respect.
Blood Demon shrugged casually.
"Hmm... I think I'll go pay a visit to the Beastlord—the one they call 'The Emperor.'"
Shadow's eyes narrowed. "You plan to use the bodies of those staff members, don't you?"
"Hm? Worried about that girl named Texas? Scared I'll kill the last of your precious clan?"
Shadow didn't show any expression—his voice only grew colder.
"...Do whatever you want. Just know this: if you fail, I'll be the one to kill you."
"Hehe... I'll be looking forward to that moment, Shadow," the Blood Demon replied with a grin.
As soon as his voice faded, the man's body dissolved into shadows, and the entire vision ended—right on the five-minute mark.
Unknowingly, every eye in the room turned to Texas. The woman sighed, pulled out another Pocky stick, and answered the unspoken question lingering in everyone's mind, even though no one had asked it out loud.
"That man's name is Paolo Texas. He's my biological uncle."
"But he has nothing to do with my family anymore. From the moment he committed that crime twenty years ago and killed my mother... I stopped seeing him as part of the family," Texas said coldly, her demeanor vastly different from usual.
Ren let out a sigh. If Lappland could see Texas like this, she'd probably be overjoyed.
Before the thought even finished forming, a system message popped up in front of Ren's eyes:
[Lappland Salluuzzo (Codename: Lappland) has greatly increased her affection toward you. Emotional Value +1,000]
Ren jolted in surprise.
'Wait... she's here?!'
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*See you next Saturday!*
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Now : (ZAW)System Acting Zhongli in arknights World? (Now Chapter 54)
Now : (INSL) I Never thought simulating life could screw me up this badly!! (Now Chapter 48)
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Coming soon : Texas Character Relationship Content (4 Chapter) *1 Chapter here*
Coming soon : Exusia Character Relationship Content (4 Chapter)
Coming soon : Lapland Character Relationship Content (4 Chapter)